St. Joseph County VA Clinic accepts donation from 2022 Memorial Day Murph fundraiser

MISHAWAKA, Ind. (WNDU) - The St. Joseph County VA Clinic in Mishawaka, which will likely be renamed after late Indiana Congresswoman Jackie Walorski, has accepted a big donation.

$20,000 was raised at the 2022 Memorial Day Murph fundraiser. It’s held annually by the St. Joseph County Metro SWAT Team and the City of Mishawaka Parks & Recreation.

“We were looking for a way to do a new PT test, and we decided we were going to try the workout,” says Sgt. Christopher Lawson-Rulli of theSt. Joseph County Metro SWAT Team. “It’s called Murph, it’s done by cross fitters during Memorial weekend every year. That was a little bit too hard for the SWAT team for a PT test, but we decided to host an event and create a little atmosphere and find a way to give back to the community.”

On Wednesday morning, a check was presented to the VA Clinic to help restock the food pantry, which directors say will also go toward making sure veterans have great meals for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

“It actually helps us with our job” says Luther Green, chief of center development and civic engagement. “It helps us push forward with helping vets and spreading wider to help more veterans with our food pantry. So, with the five years they have been doing this, it’s awesome, it’s great, and it makes our job a lot easier. We have our November month coming up, which will be Thanksgiving. Then, we’ll have December, which is Christmas, so we’ll be able to add extra things like turkeys, hams, and different items to help them get through the holidays.”

The SWAT team says it hopes to raise even more money for the clinic next year.

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